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Commission: Review, cut energy use
By Michael Levine - The Garden Island
LIHU‘E — A month after hosting a discussion about cutting the county’s electricity bill, the Cost Control Commission on Monday approved a pair of recommendations that, if adopted, would improve efficiency.
The recommendations, which were provided to the body by Commissioner Nadine Nakamura, would:
“Execute a new Energy Savings Performance contract to improve energy efficiency in County of Kaua‘i buildings and facilities;” and
“Form a County Employee Green Team to assess work environments, identify opportunities, and make recommendations to reduce waste and improve efficiencies in their daily work.”
A third recommendation, if adopted, would assign the energy-reduction responsibilities to existing staff and would not require any new hirings.
The commission’s discussion centered on ways to encourage county agencies to cut their energy consumption, but because each department is not submetered, members Lorna Nishimitsu wondered, “How are they going to figure it out?”
Nakamura agreed, saying, “Right now, there’s no accountability. ... You just pay the bill.”
The “Green Team” — which could have a representative within each department or within each facility — will have a chance to look at energy use patterns, but a full-scale expert contractor, if funded, would be tasked with evaluating consumption county-wide and finding ways to cut costs.
In the commission’s June meeting, Energy Extension Coordinator Glenn Sato said there would be “no downside” to looking into proposals for a new study.
The county’s previous ESP contract, which was the first ever in the state, was negotiated with energy services company Honeywell in 1995, executed in 1996, and saw retrofit work done in 1997.
It cost the county about $640,000 but returned more than $760,000 in savings before it wound down in December 2008, Sato said, describing the program as a success. The contract covered 29 smaller county facilities like community centers and police and fire stations, but did not include any work to “big-ticket items” like the Civic Center — which had just recently been acquired and had generally up-to-date technology.
The commission’s recommendations will be put into a letter from Chair Randy Finlay and sent to Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., who will have 30 days after receiving the recommendations to attach his comments before forwarding an ordinance to the County Council, said John Isobe, county Boards and Commissions Office administrator.
Next month, the commission will host a discussion with television station Ho‘ike regarding the broadcast of county government meetings. The Boards and Commissions Office is currently in contract negotiations with Ho‘ike, a staff member said.
Finlay said it would be “fruitless” to hold the discussion after the contract is executed, adding that the county “would appreciate the scrutiny” that the commission offers and that he hopes the status quo month-to-month arrangement will be allowed to continue until after the commission’s August meeting.
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com
The recommendations, which were provided to the body by Commissioner Nadine Nakamura, would:
“Execute a new Energy Savings Performance contract to improve energy efficiency in County of Kaua‘i buildings and facilities;” and
“Form a County Employee Green Team to assess work environments, identify opportunities, and make recommendations to reduce waste and improve efficiencies in their daily work.”
A third recommendation, if adopted, would assign the energy-reduction responsibilities to existing staff and would not require any new hirings.
The commission’s discussion centered on ways to encourage county agencies to cut their energy consumption, but because each department is not submetered, members Lorna Nishimitsu wondered, “How are they going to figure it out?”
Nakamura agreed, saying, “Right now, there’s no accountability. ... You just pay the bill.”
The “Green Team” — which could have a representative within each department or within each facility — will have a chance to look at energy use patterns, but a full-scale expert contractor, if funded, would be tasked with evaluating consumption county-wide and finding ways to cut costs.
In the commission’s June meeting, Energy Extension Coordinator Glenn Sato said there would be “no downside” to looking into proposals for a new study.
The county’s previous ESP contract, which was the first ever in the state, was negotiated with energy services company Honeywell in 1995, executed in 1996, and saw retrofit work done in 1997.
It cost the county about $640,000 but returned more than $760,000 in savings before it wound down in December 2008, Sato said, describing the program as a success. The contract covered 29 smaller county facilities like community centers and police and fire stations, but did not include any work to “big-ticket items” like the Civic Center — which had just recently been acquired and had generally up-to-date technology.
The commission’s recommendations will be put into a letter from Chair Randy Finlay and sent to Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., who will have 30 days after receiving the recommendations to attach his comments before forwarding an ordinance to the County Council, said John Isobe, county Boards and Commissions Office administrator.
Next month, the commission will host a discussion with television station Ho‘ike regarding the broadcast of county government meetings. The Boards and Commissions Office is currently in contract negotiations with Ho‘ike, a staff member said.
Finlay said it would be “fruitless” to hold the discussion after the contract is executed, adding that the county “would appreciate the scrutiny” that the commission offers and that he hopes the status quo month-to-month arrangement will be allowed to continue until after the commission’s August meeting.
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com
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joe wrote on Jul 14, 2009 7:38 AM: